What Is the Best PC Game Subscription Service?
When it comes to video game subscription services, console gamers are pretty straightforward – they’re mostly tied to PlayStation, Nintendo, or Xbox services. On the other hand, PC gamers have a lot to choose from.
Currently, the most notable PC game subscriptions are Microsoft Game Pass for PC, Ubisoft Uplay + , Humble Choice subscription from Humble Bundle, and Amazon Prime Gaming . Each service has a unique library of games, specials, and other perks, but which one is better? Let’s compare.
Xbox Game Pass on PC
Xbox Game Pass for PC is almost too good to be believed, even after Microsoft recently announced it was doubling the monthly fee to $ 10.
While the PC Game Pass library doesn’t give you exactly the same titles as Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass library, many Microsoft games for Microsoft’s Xbox Series X, such as Halo Infinite , can be found on PC via Game Pass. It’s a pretty good deal on its own, but there’s a lot more to Game Pass than just Halo and Forza .
There are also dozens of third-party and independent releases, and new games are emerging at a steady pace, many of which can be played on launch day. PC Game Pass also includes a free EA Play subscription, EA Play , which adds many PC-exclusive games to the long list of games available.
In addition to the huge library, subscribers will also have access to Microsoft’s future Xcloud streaming service as soon as it becomes available, allowing you to play your Game Pass library on phones, laptops, and other devices via cloud streaming.
A modest choice
The Humble Bundle is known for its generous (and charitable) sales of large collections of games, but the company also has a monthly subscription service, Humble Choice, which is arguably even more enticing.
The service offers three different subscription levels:
- Lite ($ 5 / month): Access to Humble Trove’s library of over 90 free games and 10% off any Humble Store purchases.
- Basic ($ 10 / month): All the benefits of a Lite subscription, and you can activate up to three additional free games from a pack of 10 unique games every month.
- Premium ($ 20 per month): Activate up to nine additional free games per month, get access to Humble Trove and get up to 20% off your Humble Store purchases.
The monthly selection may vary in quality, but usually includes popular and emerging titles. The Humble Trove library is pretty good. Users buy their games using product codes on other storefronts such as Steam. While this can be a tedious process, it means the games will remain yours even if you unsubscribe – which you don’t often get with “after you cancel, you get disconnected” subscription services.
Uplay +
At $ 15, Uplay + is one of the more expensive options available, but avid Ubisoft fans (and only avid Ubisoft fans) will get a lot out of the service.
Naturally, Uplay + exclusively offers Ubisoft games. Ubisoft has an impressively diverse catalog, from open-world action games, turn-based strategy games and RPGs to artsy platformers, racing games and war shooters. The list includes all Assassin’s Creed , Watch Dogs and Far Cry released to date, as well as classic series such as Rayman , Prince of Persia, and Might and Magic .
The games in the Uplay + library include all add-ons, DLCs, and the Season Pass at no extra cost. All new Ubisoft releases will be available on release day, and subscribers will even get access to beta events for unreleased games.
Prime gaming
Amazon Prime Gaming is included as one of the many perks for Amazon Prime members (which costs $ 13 per month or $ 120 per year). Prime Gaming was formerly called “Twitch Gaming” but has since changed its name and expanded beyond the free in-game items and privileges of Twitch users. It now offers its subscribers a constantly updated selection of free games. The deals change about once a month and you need to use them to play them, but there are usually about a dozen games that you can get at any time.
You also get Twitch Prime Credit, which allows you to subscribe to a Twitch streamer “for free” once a month, as well as many in-game item codes for a variety of multiplayer and free-to-play games.
So which is better?
There’s a reason we opened this roster with Xbox Game Pass on PC; it is by far the best service on the list and one of the best deals in games period. Look at it this way: $ 10 a month equals $ 120 a year. That’s roughly what you’d pay for just two new games at launch, and the game pass lets you play many of the biggest releases on day one.
That said, Humble Choice is a pretty cool deal too, and keeping all the games you purchase, even after canceling, is an important advantage over its competitors. It may not be an immediate enjoyment of listening to the latest new releases, but it’s the best long-term investment.
Uplay +, on the other hand, is a much more niche service. It’s easy to sell if you’re really into a few of Ubisoft’s current franchises or want to catch up with its older releases, but it probably won’t have much appeal outside of this audience.
Finally, there is Prime Gaming. Quite frankly, every other option has better games and large libraries, but that’s not a bad bonus for existing Amazon Prime subscribers. However, do not buy just for Prime Prime Gaming.
Do you need a subscription?
While most of these services are absolutely worth the monthly fee, none of them are necessary to play computer games on the cheap. There are many other ways to get free or heavily discounted games.
For example, the Epic Games Store allows users to choose from one to two free games from a small selection each week – no subscription required. You must request each game from the Epic Games Store app as they are not automatically added to your library, but they are yours forever if you manage to catch them while they are available.
Other stores like Steam, Itch.io, and GOG also give away games occasionally, and there are plenty of free games on all three digital storefronts. You can play Fortnite , Apex Legends , DOTA 2 and even Destiny 2 without spending a cent.
With Steam sales, free use of the Epic Games Store, and an astonishing number of high quality free games, you’ll have something to play with. And if you decide to combine it all with a PC game subscription service, you have more than you could ever play in one lifetime.